Department for Transport

Channel Ferries: Finance

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 08 January 2019 to Question 206390 on Ferries: Scotland, if he will undertake a review of his policy on funding ferries services in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal as a result of the cancelling of the Seaborne Freight contract.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The termination of the Seaborne Freight contract has not led the Government to review its policy in relation to ferry operations from Scottish ports.

Transforming Cities Fund

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether market towns will have equal access to the Transforming Cities Fund alongside metropolitan areas; how he plans to achieve equity on access to the Transforming Cities Fund throughout the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: While the Transforming Cities Fund is aimed at transforming intra-city connectivity and driving productivity in city regions across England, the Government expects that where market towns form part of these city regions, they will also benefit from the improved connections between urban centres and their commuter areas. To ensure that investments are truly transformational across their whole area, the Department will work closely with city regions that have been shortlisted to receive a share of the Fund, to co-develop innovative public and sustainable transport packages. Alongside this, the £675m Future High Streets Fund will support and fund local areas’ plans to renew and reshape their high streets and town centres in a way that improves experience, drives growth and ensures future sustainability. This fund is open to all places, with no minimum population restrictions.

A38

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the October 2018 consultation outcome report on the second road investment strategy entitled Shaping the future of England’s strategic roads, what progress his Department has made on analysing the potential costs and benefits of upgrading the A38.

Jesse Norman: The Department recognises the support that exists locally for improvements to the A38 in the South West, and is considering them alongside other potential network enhancements for inclusion in the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2). The Department will make decisions on RIS2 later this year, after which it will be possible to develop robust estimates of the costs and benefits of specific options for schemes included in the investment plan.

Railways: Dawlish

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the resilience programme for the three priority interventions at Dawlish is planned to be funded as an enhancement scheme during Network Rail’s Control Period 6 programme.

Andrew Jones: To help find the right permanent solution to deliver the future resilience of the Dawlish rail route, we have already provided £15million for detailed investigation and design work at three key areas, one of which is the seawall at Dawlish. Following this investigatory work, we have announced that, as we move into the next phase of work, we will invest up to £80m in a brand new, more resilient sea wall at Dawlish. This is planned to be funded as an enhancement scheme during Network Rail's Control Period 6 programme.

Heathrow Airport

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he made of the potential financial effect on local authorities who may be required to subsidise Public Service Obligation routes into Heathrow.

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with local authorities on their ability to provide subsidies for (a) additional and (b) future flight connections into Heathrow.

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the number of regional connections into Heathrow that will require (a) direct and (b) indirect funding contributions.

Jesse Norman: The Airports National Policy Statement sets out an expectation that Heathrow will work with airlines to deliver at least 14 domestic routes. The Government expects these new domestic routes from an expanded Heathrow to be commercially viable with incentives offered by the airport operatorThe Aviation 2050 consultation is also seeking views on reserving slots for domestic connections, which would not require public funding. If commercial incentives and slot reservations do not deliver on our expectations, then the Government may consider imposing Public Service Obligations.The Government expects that significant direct financial support for PSOs into Heathrow following expansion is unlikely to be required, due to the commercial incentives in place for airlines to run routes into the UK’s primary hub airport. If an application for a PSO did require Government or local authority subsidy, this would then be considered as part of our evaluation.

Heathrow Airport

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) noise (b) air pollution and (c) local road congestion of the proposed 25,000 additional flights at Heathrow from 2022.

Jesse Norman: Heathrow’s proposed ‘early lifting of the air traffic movement (ATM) cap’ is not Government policy. Any such proposal would require planning permission and would need to form part of an applicant’s development consent application. As part of that process, the Examining Authority would need to be satisfied that all impacts were assessed fully, including a comprehensive environmental assessment, and that any required mitigations were sufficient; and it would be required to determine the appropriate enforcement regime to enact the mitigations.

Heathrow Airport

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with (a) Heathrow Airport, (b) the Civil Aviation Authority and (c) the Planning Inspectorate on the proposal to increase the Air Traffic Movement cap at Heathrow Airport.

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the safety implications of the introduction of an additional 25,000 flights per year at Heathrow.

Jesse Norman: Heathrow Airport Limited has informed the Department of its proposals for an additional 25,000 aircraft traffic movements a year, and the Department’s understanding is that this will form part of a phased introduction of new capacity while the third runway is being built. Any request to increase its current planning cap would be subject to public consultation and the planning process and, as set out in the Airports National Policy Statement, it would need to include a suitable package of mitigations. The Secretary of State has had no conversations with the Civil Aviation Authority or the Planning Inspectorate on these proposals, but the Civil Aviation Authority will need to consider any such proposals from Heathrow Airport Limited, including with regard to safety, as a statutory consultee in the planning process. This would build on the Civil Aviation Authority’s initial safety review of Heathrow Airport Limited’s proposals before the publication of the Airports Commission’s Final Report, which found no material grounds for concern.

A61 and A619: Chesterfield

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the need for additional capacity to (a) reduce traffic demand and (b) improve traffic flow on the A61 and A619 roads in the Chesterfield area; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The A61 and A619 are managed by Derbyshire County Council, which is responsible for considering any improvements to the roads and making a case for funding. Between 2015/16 and 2020/21, the Department for Transport will provide over £1.5 billion to local authorities for small scale transport schemes. The Department will also make funding available from 2020/21 for larger improvements through the National Roads Fund.

Inland Waterways: Chesterfield

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on potential support from his Department for investment on the Chesterfield Canal.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: I am not aware of any representations to this Department for investment in the Chesterfield Canal restoration project.

Air Transport Agreements

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans there are for an air transport agreement which seeks to maintain reciprocal liberalised aviation access between and within the territory of the UK and the EU alongside UK participation in EASA.

Jesse Norman: The UK and EU have agreed a Political Declaration on the broad terms of the UK’s future relationship with the EU. It signals the ambition of both sides to agree a Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement (CATA) that will provide for market access for UK and EU airlines, as well arrangements on ownership and control. It will also include provisions to facilitate cooperation on aviation safety, including the possibility of participation in the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Bus Services: North West

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to regulate and improve the provision of bus services across the North West.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The bus market outside London is deregulated and decisions regarding service provision is primarily a commercial matter for bus operators. Decisions on subsidised bus services are a matter for individual English local authorities, in the light of their other spending priorities. The Department provides around £43m of Bus Subsidy Operators Grant (BSOG) directly to English local authorities for local bus services.The Bus Services Act 2017 provides the tools local authorities need to improve local bus services and increase passenger numbers.

Bexleyheath Railway Line

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has undertaken modelling of the effect on train services to and from London Victoria station that pass through Clapham High Street station of stopping at that station to determine whether or not to make changes to those services.

Andrew Jones: The Department did not complete modelling of stops at Clapham High Street but the Department estimates that each stop would add 3-4 minutes journey time. The Department also determined that the length of platforms at Clapham High Street would be too short for existing South Eastern services to stop at.

Roads: Accidents

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of road accidents attributed to glare from (a) LED and (b) halogen bulbs in car headlights in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Department does not collect data on road accidents which were attributed to glare from LED and halogen bulbs in particular. The published table series RAS50 show contributory factors in reported road accidents involving personal injury: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/ras50-contributory-factors. This includes the contributory factor of ‘dazzling headlights’ where the driver/rider was dazzled by headlights. In 2017, there were 315 reported accidents where ‘dazzling headlights’ were reported as a contributory factor in Great Britain. This represents 0.3% of all accidents where a police officer attended the scene and a contributory factor was allocated. The proportion remained stable since 2005 when the recording of contributory factors started.

Railways: Tickets

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of the train system that accepts the use of an Oyster card as a payment method.

Andrew Jones: Oyster is a transport payment system that is used on transport services in London across the London zonal area plus travel outside the zonal area to and from a few national rail stations in the wider South East. The Transport for London website provides further details.

Railways: Tickets

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to roll out Oyster card systems across England and Wales.

Andrew Jones: Our ambition is to ensure that across regional and urban commuter areas smart ticketing can deliver the kind of pay-as-you-go (PAYG) structure that is used in London, to make journeys easier and smoother for passengers. Earlier this month I launched a consultation to seek views on how PAYG travel areas could work, the options for changing fares to complement PAYG and the places in the South-East that could be suitable for PAYG, as part of our wider ambition to roll out PAYG. We have also allocated £150m to Transport for the North to deliver their multi-modal smart ticketing programme, which includes PAYG. The current consultation considers the most appropriate technology for PAYG, but notes that: a) Oyster is built to support a limited number of fares and zones, and so is less suitable further away from London; and b) that it has limited scope to be expanded further without significant modification. Transport in Wales is a devolved matter.

Unmanned Air Vehicles: Registration

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a drone registration scheme similar to the scheme operated by the Federal Aviation Administration in the US.

Jesse Norman: The Government has already put into law a registration requirement for all operators of drones weighing 250 grams or more. This was done in May last year. The registration requirement will come into force this year on 30 November 2019.As explained in the Government’s July 2017 response to its public consultation on the safe use of drones in the UK, the primary aims of introducing a registration scheme are to improve the accountability of drone users, aid enforcement and enable direct educational targeting of these users in order to improve safety, security and privacy.

Roads: Horse Riding

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase road safety for horse riders.

Jesse Norman: The Government recognises that horse riders and carriage drivers are vulnerable road users. Accordingly, the Highway Code covers horse riders and the need for drivers to exercise special care in relation to them. As part of the current Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) Safety Review, The Highway Code will be reviewed to help keep cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders safe on the roads. The full scope of review has yet to be determined but, in accordance with normal practice, it will be conducted in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, including those representing equestrians.

Cycling: Accidents

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many cyclists have (a) died and (b) suffered serious injuries as a result of poorly-maintained roads under the responsibility of (a) local authorities, (b) Highways England, (c) Transport Scotland and (d) the Welsh Government in 2017.

Jesse Norman: The numbers of cyclists killed or seriously injured in reported road accidents where the contributory factor ‘poor or defective road surface’ was allocated by a police officer attending the scene of the accident in 2017 are presented in the attached table."Contributory factors" provide some insight into why and how road accidents occur. They are designed to indicate actions and failures that led directly to the actual impact, in order to aid investigation of how accidents might be prevented. When police officers attend the scene of an accident, they are able to select up to six factors which they believe contributed to the accident, for each vehicle and casualty involved. This does not assign blame for the accident to any specific road user, but gives an indication of which factors the attending officer thought contributed to the accident.Police officers do not need to carry out a full investigation of the incident before allocating contributory factors; they usually use their professional judgement given what they can see at the scene. Please note that not all accidents are included in the contributory factor data. Only accidents where the police attended the scene and reported at least one contributory factor are included. A total of 72% of accidents reported to the police in 2017 met these criteria.  



Table of Cyclists deaths and injuries - 2017
(Word Document, 163.39 KB)

Bus Services: Working Hours

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of current legislation on the number of hours that bus drivers are permitted to safely work.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Most bus drivers are subject to general working time rules and domestic drivers’ hours rules, which among other things limit daily driving time to 10 hours and require a daily rest of 10 hours (which can be reduced to 8.5 hours three times per week). Some (generally coach) drivers are subject to different or additional EU rules. Operators and drivers must also discharge their wider legal obligations, including health and safety requirements and avoiding driving whilst ill or tired. This regulatory regime enables operators and drivers to work safely. Statistics show that fatal accidents involving bus or coaches have been falling over time, from 120 in 2007 to 55 in 2017.

Bus Services: Working Hours

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of bus drivers working over 50 hours a week on bus service safety.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Bus drivers are generally subject to the domestic drivers’ hours rules, which amongst other things limit daily driving time to 10 hours and require a daily rest of 10 hours (which can be reduced to 8.5 hours three times per week), and to the general working time rules. The Department reviewed the domestic drivers’ hours rules in 2010 and found no compelling case for change. The Department will continue to consider evidence related to the application of working time and drivers’ hours rules in this sector. Statistics show that on average bus drivers worked 45 hours a week in 2018, within the 48 hours limit allowed in the general working time rules.

Bicycles: Hire Services

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the collapse of dockless bikeshare schemes on mobility.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport has not undertaken any assessment of this matter. It is for local authorities rather than central Government to develop and monitor local transport provision, including bikeshare schemes, in their areas.

East Coast Railway Line

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the new Azuma trains will become operational on the East Coast Main Line.

Andrew Jones: We expect the new Azuma trains to be introduced over the coming months. LNER, Hitachi, Network Rail and the Department are working collaboratively to ensure this happens as soon as possible.

High Speed Two: Lancaster

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will meet with the Hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood and a delegation of Lancaster business leaders on HS2 and Lancaster.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: I understand the importance of HS2 serving the North West. Lancaster will be served from Birmingham in the full HS2 Y network in 2033, as per the central case indicative train service specification in the Phase 2 Economic Case published in June 2017. On 12 February, my Written Ministerial Statement informed the House that the second additional provision to the High Speed Rail (West Midlands - Crewe) Bill includes works at and around Crewe station including the extension of platform 5 to accommodate 400-metre HS2 trains. As well as supporting the Crewe hub vision, this could enable direct services between London and Lancaster bringing additional benefits six years earlier in 2027. Work is currently assessing whether it is possible to extend the services and I would be happy to provide an update in due course

Driving Tests

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to introduce a compulsory drink awareness course as part of a driving test.

Jesse Norman: There are no plans to introduce a compulsory drink awareness course as part of a driving test.The syllabus for learning to drive a car and light van already includes a section on assessing whether a driver’s ability to drive safely and responsibly is affected by any alcohol they have consumed. In addition, the car driving theory test contains 50 multiple choice questions. Each test features at least one question on drinking and driving.

Bus Services: Rural Areas

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to safeguard bus routes in socially isolated areas.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Bus policy for Northern Ireland is devolved. In England, where there is not enough demand for a bus route to be commercially viable in its own right, all local authorities have powers to subsidise bus services in socially isolated areas. Around one-fifth of all bus services are subsidised in this way. Local authorities have new powers under the Bus Services Act 2017 to request certain information from bus operators about services that are being varied or withdrawn to help them make an informed decision about whether they need to subsidise a replacement service.

South Eastern Rail Franchise

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department included in the invitation to tender for the Southeastern franchise notice that the operator will be permitted to serve Clapham High Street station during peak hourse.

Andrew Jones: The South Eastern franchise invitation to tender provides instructions to bidders on how to exceed the minimum specification including calls at Clapham High Street.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Manufacturing Industries: Hendon

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how the Industrial Strategy plans to support manufacturing business in Hendon constituency.

Richard Harrington: Through our Industrial Strategy we continue to take actions to support manufacturing businesses in Hendon and across the country. We are working closely with industry to secure a strong future for UK manufacturers through major new investment in research, as part of our commitment to increase total R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027. We have so far allocated £1.7 billion through Waves 1 and 2 of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, bringing together world class UK research with business investment to develop the technologies and industries of the future. We are working with industry on proposals for a future third wave. We have allocated £70 million of grant funding to projects in London under the ISCF to date. Of this figure, £537,812 was allocated to the constituency of Hendon to support innovation in the healthcare sector. At Autumn Budget we announced up to £121 million of funding, subject to business case approval and industry co-investment, for the Manufacturing Made Smarter Challenge. This will exploit the opportunities highlighted in the Made Smarter Review, which identifies significant benefits to the UK from integrating digital technology into manufacturing through a strong partnership between Government and industry. We also announced up to £66m for the Transforming Foundation Industries Challenge at COP24 in December 2018, subject to business case and industry co-investment. This Challenge aims to transform the UK’s foundation industries (glass, steel, cement, ceramics, chemicals) to make them internationally competitive, securing more jobs and greater sector growth by 2025. In addition, we are working in partnership with London to develop its Local Industrial Strategy, as part of our aim to create prosperous communities across the country. The Local Industrial Strategy will be long-term, based on clear evidence and aligned to the national Industrial Strategy, identifying local strengths and challenges, future opportunities and the action needed to boost productivity, earning power and competitiveness. Through programmes operated by the Government-owned British Business Bank they are currently supporting over £5.5bn of finance to over 78,000 SMEs; and since its launch in 2012, the Start-Up Loans programme, part of the British Business Bank, has delivered more than 59,000 loans, totalling over £450m.

Space: EU Action

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the UK will participate in (a) Galileo, (b) Copernicus, and (c) other EU space programmes after the UK leaves the EU.

Chris Skidmore: The Government’s intention is for the UK to continue to participate in EU space programmes and our role within the European Space Agency will not change when we leave the EU. The terms the European Commission are prepared to offer for UK participation in Galileo fall well short of the minimum we would consider acceptable as set out in our Technical Paper of May 2018. In December 2018, the Prime Minister therefore announced that that we will develop our own Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and will not seek to use Galileo for critical national infrastructure or defence. We continue to assess our participation to the civil outputs of Galileo. The UK has been a key player in designing and delivering Copernicus’s infrastructure, satellites and instruments. Copernicus is a user-driven, civil programme producing data that is freely available for all to use and we will be seeking to continue to participate in Copernicus after we leave the EU.

Trade Marks: Legal Profession

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government has taken to secure rights of representation for UK-based Chartered Trade Mark Attorneys working in the EU after the UK leaves the EU.

Chris Skidmore: The UK’s intellectual property system is consistently rated amongst the best in the world, and I recognise the value that the attorney profession brings to the system and the wider economy. As we turn to the Future Economic Partnership with the EU, we will seek a comprehensive arrangement on trade in services, which will cover a wide range of sectors, including professional and business services.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Research

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many grant applications have been made to the Medical Research Council for ME/CFS related research since 2010; how many of those applications have been awarded funding; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Skidmore: Since 2009/10, the Medical Research Council (MRC) has received 32 research proposals relating to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), seven of which have been funded. The MRC supports research in response to proposals from the research community. High quality applications on any aspect of human health are always welcomed and awards are made according to their scientific quality and importance to human health.

Financial Services: Technology

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to encourage small businesses to invest in and utilise FinTech.

Chris Skidmore: The UK has been independently ranked by EY and Deloitte as the world’s leading hub for Fintech. The ambitious Fintech Sector Strategy, launched in March 2018 by the Chancellor, sets out how the Government intends to maintain that position. This thriving Fintech community is an advantage for small UK businesses, who benefit from easy access to a range of services including foreign exchange, loans, equity investment and invoice finance. The British Business Bank’s annual Small Business Finance Markets report, published on 11 February, states that the value of peer-to-peer business lending rose a further 18% in 2018, having increased by 51% in 2017. The same report notes that awareness among small businesses is also increasing, with 52% aware of peer-to-peer lending as an option (2017: 47%) and 70% aware of equity crowdfunding (2017: 60%). The British Business Bank’s portal for small businesses, the Finance Hub, has extensive information for small businesses on finance options including those available through Fintech providers and how to access them.

Horizon 2020: Finance

Joseph Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the underwrite guarantee will cover research funding bids submitted to the European Commission which are still under evaluation on 30 March 2019.

Joseph Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with (a) UK Research and Innovation and (b) the European Commission on the evaluation of UK bids for (i) ERC, (ii) MSCA, (iii) SME instrument and (iv) other Horizon 2020 funding streams which are not open to third country participation in the event that the UK leaves EU without a deal.

Chris Skidmore: The Government’s priority remains agreeing a deal with the EU. A ratified deal based on the provisions set out in the proposed Withdrawal Agreement would ensure that UK participants would continue to receive EU funding from EU Programmes committed under the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework for the lifetime of their projects. Horizon 2020, the EU’s research and innovation funding programme, is one such programme. Until exit, the UK remains a Member State participant in Horizon 2020, with all the rights and responsibilities of a Member State. This means that until point of exit the UK will be eligible to bid to all aspects of Horizon 2020. We are seeking discussions with the European Commission on the details of continued UK participation in EU programmes after exit at the earliest opportunity; these discussions would need to include consideration of the implication of the UK’s change in status from a Member State to a third country if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. In a no deal scenario, the UK government has committed to fund all successful competitive UK bids to Horizon 2020 submitted before exit day. In July this guarantee was extended. The post-EU exit extension to the guarantee is a commitment to fund all successful competitive UK bids to Horizon 2020 calls open to third country participation from the date of exit until the end of 2020. Both the guarantee and extension will apply for the lifetime of qualifying projects. We are conscious that third country participation does not extend to some Horizon 2020 calls. We continue to work with UKRI and stakeholders to identify appropriate measures that could be put in place in the period immediately after EU Exit, if necessary.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Palestinians: Universities

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of the decision by the US Administration to cut funding to Palestinian university programmes in the West Bank and Gaza on the provision of those programmes; and whether the Government plans to provide additional support or scholarships to Palestinian students in response to that cut in funding.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of the decision by the US Administration to cut funding to Palestinian university programmes. The UK is already making a significant contribution to higher education in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Our support to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education helps 25,000 young Palestinians to receive an education, and we support a number of Palestinian students every year to study at masters level in the UK through the Chevening scholarship programme.

EU Staff: British Nationality

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of British civil servants who (a) have been based in Brussels in each year since 2010 and (b) will remain based in Brussels after the UK leaves the EU.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK has three diplomatic Missions in Brussels: the bilateral Embassy to Belgium; the UK Permanent Representation to the European Union (UKRep); and the UK Delegation to NATO. All employ British civil servants, alongside locally recruited staff. The civil servants normally serve fixed tour lengths of between 1-4 years. In addition, there are British civil servants working in Brussels at the Scottish Government EU Office, the Welsh Government EU Office, for Border Force at Gare du Midi Eurostar, and on secondment to the EU Institutions, NATO and the World Customs Organisation.The table below provides the number of FCO UK-based staff in Brussels each year since 2013. These statistics do not include locally recruited staff, staff in Brussels funded by other Government Departments, nor the Scottish or Welsh Governments. Up until 1st April 2015, Department of Trade staff (former UKTI) were included in FCO staff headcount. We are unable to provide headcount information prior to 2013 as the FCO revised its approach to recording staff headcount in December 2012, adopting a new methodology in line with Office for National Statistics guidelines.Reference MonthFCO UK-based staff in BrusselsJanuary 2019c.150March 2018c.120March 2017c.100March 2016c.100March 2015c.100March 2014c.100March 2013c.100 After the UK leaves the EU, the UK will retain its three diplomatic Missions in Brussels, although UKRep will become a third country Mission to the EU. We expect their overall headcount to increase marginally. This reflects both our desire for a future close relationship with the EU and our increased focus on the bilateral relationship with Belgium when we are no longer an EU Member State.We do not expect to have any secondees in the EU Institutions immediately after the UK leaves the EU but, in line with the Political Declaration setting out the framework for the future relationship between the EU and UK, we will seek to agree arrangements for the secondment of experts where appropriate and in our mutual interest. In January 2010 the UK had 92 seconded national experts to the EU; we currently have 36 in Brussels, plus a further 10 who are taking part in the National Experts in Professional Training programme. There are also currently 7 British civil servants seconded to NATO and one to the World Customs Organisation (WCO), all based in Brussels.

Tunisia: Pay

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support he has offered the Government of Tunisia following the announcement by the International Monetary Fund that public sector wage assets may be frozen in that country.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s announcement and support its efforts to promote structural economic reforms in Tunisia. UK assistance is designed both to build Tunisia’s capacity to deal with terrorist threats and to help Tunisia reach its economic potential. In 2019-2020, we have committed over £12 million to support reforms in the education, economic and public sectors. We will continue to work closely with Tunisia and our international partners to promote sustainable growth and prosperity for Tunisians.

Israel: Gaza

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of reports of renewed tunnel construction into Israel by Hamas in Gaza.

Alistair Burt: We remain deeply concerned by Hamas's attempts to re-arm and rebuild militant infrastructure, including the tunnel network, in Gaza. Such actions undermine efforts to improve the situation in Gaza and harm the prospects for peace.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of democratic processes in the Palestinian Authority.

Alistair Burt: ​While we have made no recent assessment of this matter, we continue to believe that inclusive, accountable and democratic institutions and processes, based on respect for the rule of law and human rights, are crucial elements in establishing a viable and sovereign Palestinian State.

Iran: Guided Weapons

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of Iran's ballistic missile programme.

Alistair Burt: Iran’s ballistic missile programme presents a threat to the security of the Middle East and Europe which cannot be ignored. We therefore continue to call on Iran to act consistently with all UN Security Council resolutions in relation to its ballistic missile programme​.

Hakeem AlAraibi

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he had with his Bahraini counterpart with respect to the case of Hakeem al Arabibi.

Alistair Burt: We have been following the case of Mr al-Araibi closely and are aware that he has now returned to Australia.

Commonwealth: Cybercrime

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Written Statement of 14 January 2019 on Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting: Update on delivery, HCWS1247, which Commonwealth member states are supported by his Department and the World Bank to deliver national cyber security reviews; what funding he has allocated to that programme; and when those reviews will report.

Alistair Burt: ​Following the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in April 2018, the UK will fund at least ten national cyber security capacity reviews before the next Heads of Government meeting in 2020. The ten member states currently planned for a review are: Nigeria, the Gambia, Mauritius, Lesotho, Botswana, Cameroon, Namibia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. £0.7 million has been currently set aside from the Commonwealth 18-20 Fund and the UK Prosperity Fund for these reviews.

Commonwealth: Offences against Children

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs,  pursuant to the Written Statement of 14 January 2019 on Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting: Update, HCWS1247, which member states will receive training on tackling online child exploitation; what funding he has allocated to that training; and when that training is planned to be completed.

Alistair Burt: In support of commitments made at the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the UK has allocated £2 million to projects which tackle online child sexual exploitation. The Home Office is supporting work in Sri Lanka to build the evidence base, protect those at risk, and strengthen the co-ordination and implementation of efforts amongst multiple authorities and law enforcement agencies. The Home Office is also working with the African Union (AU) to strengthen regional and national capacity to address online child sexual exploitation, including in nine Commonwealth countries: Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda. The project will also build capacity in several non-Commonwealth members of the AU.

Uganda: Freedom of Expression

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Ugandan counterpart on freedom of expression and religion in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ugandan Constitution enshrines the 'freedom to practise any religion'. We have no evidence of persecution based on religious belief in Uganda and have not raised this issue with the Ugandan Government recently.The UK supports freedom of expression as a fundamental human right and, alongside freedom of the media, maintains that it is an essential quality of any functioning democracy. We continue to raise any concerns around civic and political issues directly with the Ugandan Government.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Public Records

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many records his Department holds that have reached the time limit for their transfer to the National Archives but have not been transferred.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is not able to calculate the number of records it holds which are dated 31 December 1994 or earlier without incurring disproportionate cost. However, the FCO does publish information about its archive holdings and record release programme at www.gov.uk/archive-records. This includes an inventory with estimates of FCO archive holdings at file (rather than record) level as well the date ranges of our archive record collections. An updated version of the FCO archive inventory will be published this year.The FCO is committed to compliance with the Public Records Act. Any files which have passed their review date and which are still held by the FCO are retained in compliance with the Act under a legal instrument.

Tanzania: LGBT People

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of LGBT rights in Tanzania since the recall of the European Union’s head of delegation to Tanzania in November 2018.

Harriett Baldwin: I continue to be concerned by any reports of targeting or threats against the LGBTI community in Tanzania. As I said in my tweet on 2 November, language that invites violence against any community in society should be rejected. The British High Commission, alongside international partners, carried out a demarche on the Tanzanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, urging the authorities to respect human rights and protect all citizens from discrimination. I welcomed the statement by the Tanzanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 4 November restating the protection of rights enshrined in their Constitution and distancing themselves from comments made by their officials. We continue to urge the Tanzanian authorities to respect the rights of sexual minorities and protect all Tanzanian citizens from discrimination. I personally raised discrimination and human rights abuses towards LGBTI people in Tanzania when I met Foreign Minister Mahiga in Brussels on 21 January. I wrote to him in similar terms in November last year and the Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP, Secretary of State for International Development, also wrote to President Magufuli about the same issue at that time.

Tanzania: LGBT People

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Tanzanian counterpart on human rights abuses toward LGBT people in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: I continue to be concerned by any reports of targeting or threats against the LGBTI community in Tanzania. As I said in my tweet on 2 November, language that invites violence against any community in society should be rejected. The British High Commission, alongside international partners, carried out a demarche on the Tanzanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, urging the authorities to respect human rights and protect all citizens from discrimination. I welcomed the statement by the Tanzanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 4 November restating the protection of rights enshrined in their Constitution and distancing themselves from comments made by their officials. We continue to urge the Tanzanian authorities to respect the rights of sexual minorities and protect all Tanzanian citizens from discrimination. I personally raised discrimination and human rights abuses towards LGBTI people in Tanzania when I met Foreign Minister Mahiga in Brussels on 21 January. I wrote to him in similar terms in November last year and the Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP, Secretary of State for International Development, has also raised teh issue with President Magufuli.

Yemen: Peace Negotiations

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on what dates he plans to meet the Yemen Quad.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign Secretary most recently chaired a Yemen Quad meeting on 14 February. Although dates have not yet been fixed for future meetings, the UK is committed to supporting the UN-led political process, a desire shared by Quad partners.

Yemen: Peace Negotiations

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on what dates the Yemen Quad of the US, UK, Saudi Arabia and UAE have met since 2015.

Alistair Burt: The Yemen ‘Quad’ meetings have taken place on the following dates:14 February 201927 September 201810 December 201718 December 201619 July 2016Ambassadors and senior officials from the US, UK, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates have also met regularly throughout this period in the Quad format, and will continue to do so, to find a political solution to end the Yemeni conflict.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Public Records

Deidre Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many records his Department holds that have reached the time limit for their transfer to the National Archives but have not been transferred.

Chloe Smith: The Cabinet Office is committed to meeting its obligations under the Public Records Act 1958 and we now release more records more often than ever before. The Cabinet Office is currently on track to transfer records on time as we transition to the 20 year rule. This year we will open records from 1995 and 1996 in compliance with the Public Records Act.However, the Cabinet Office does not hold information about the number of individual records held so this figure could only be provided at disproportionate cost by counting each individual record. Records are retained in accordance with the requirements of the Public Records Act 1958.The National Archives has recently assessed the Prime Ministerial and Cabinet Office’s compliance with the Public Records Act as good: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/manage-information/ima/ima-reports-action-plans/

Department of Health and Social Care

Food: Imports

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to make it his policy to subject imported products to the same (a) targets and (b) labelling requirements with respect to calorie reduction regulations as those required of UK manufacturers.

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support small businesses to prepare for the new calorie reduction regulations that Public Health England are introducing.

Steve Brine: The calorie reduction programme that Public Health England (PHE) oversees on behalf of Government challenges all sectors of industry to achieve a 20% reduction in calories in key foods contributing significantly to intakes of children up to 18 years by 2024. The programme is at an early stage with stakeholders having been consulted on initial draft proposed guidelines only in autumn 2018. No decisions have been taken at this stage of development on the guidelines and whether or how these will apply to imported products. PHE is considering the points raised through the consultation and is aiming to publish the guidelines in mid-2019.In March 2017 PHE published guidance to assist local authorities in supporting and working with small businesses on voluntary reduction initiatives including calories. This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/encouraging-healthier-out-of-home-food-provision

HIV Infection: Ethnic Groups

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle the stigma faced by BAME people living with HIV to help ensure they engage with medical professionals.

Steve Brine: In 2015, Public Health England (PHE) collaborated with the sexual health charity, the Family Planning Association, on the ‘People Living with HIV Stigma Survey UK’ to identify the stigma and discrimination experienced by people living with HIV in healthcare settings, faith settings, the workplace, and with intimate partners, family and friends. Results were disseminated via scientific manuscripts, medical conferences, and publicly available reports. Positive Voices, a recurring, nationally representative survey of people living with HIV, was last undertaken by PHE in 2017. It included questions on stigma and discrimination in healthcare settings. Dissemination of results is ongoing, including a community-led report on stigma: ‘Changing Perceptions: Talking about HIV and Attitudes’, and the production of publicly available reports, local reports, presentations and scientific manuscripts. These reports aim to change perceptions about living with HIV.

NHS: Drugs

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has in place to (a) (i) monitor and (ii) identify gaps in the medicines being stockpiled by pharmaceutical companies and (b) protect the supply of medicines not being stockpiled by pharmaceutical companies.

Stephen Hammond: In August 2018, the Department asked suppliers to confirm arrangements in respect of prescription-only and pharmacy medicines that come from or via the European Union /European Economic Area. Company responses have provided the Department with an indication of industry’s ability and preparedness to stockpile six weeks’ worth of additional supply of each of the in-scope medicines in the United Kingdom ahead of 29 March 2019.Since then, we have continued to receive very good engagement and are working closely with industry on a product-by-product basis. Companies share our aims of ensuring continuity of medicines supply for patients is maintained and that suppliers are able to cope with any potential delays at the border that may arise in the short term in a ‘no deal’ scenario.

Medical Treatments

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to ensure patients will be offered more personalised therapeutic options, as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Caroline Dinenage: Personalised care means people having choice and control over the way their care is planned and delivered, based on their individual needs and what matters most to them.The Long Term Plan set out the ambition for patients get more joined up and personalised care when they need it. As set out in the National Health Service vision paper, Universal Personalised Care – Implementing the Comprehensive Model, NHS England intend to rollout a comprehensive model, based on learning and evidence to date which includes mechanisms to support delivery.This will provide support such as personalised care and support planning, and include support for people to have personal health budgets. This is an amount of money to support a person’s identified health and wellbeing needs, planned and agreed between them and their local clinical commissioning group.In addition to the vision set out in Universal Personalised Care – Implementing the Comprehensive Model, NHS England has committed to offering all children with cancer whole genome sequencing to enable more comprehensive and precise diagnosis, and access to more personalised treatments. This will reduce the use of harmful medications and interventions, support increased access to clinical trials and reduce the number of young patients who experience lifelong health problems caused by high doses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Medicine: Research

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on health research of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Stephen Hammond: The Government has stated its aim to establish a far-reaching science and innovation pact with the European Union, facilitating the exchange of ideas and researchers, and enabling the United Kingdom to participate in key programmes alongside our EU partners.The Government is committed to securing a Withdrawal Agreement with the EU. However, as a responsible Government, we continue to prepare for all scenarios, including ‘no deal’. As part of these preparations, the Government is working across a range of workstreams to understand the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal, and to ensure that the UK has the best possible environment for basic, biomedical, health, and life sciences research. This includes access to and mobility of research leaders and the technical and research delivery workforce; access to EU research funding; the regulation of clinical trials, data and devices; rare diseases research; and clinical trials supplies in a ‘no deal’ scenario.

Social Services: Migrant Workers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on (a) staffing levels and (b) recruitment of EU nationals within the social care sector of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government does not anticipate leaving the European Union without a deal and remains committed to reaching a deal before the 29 March 2019. We also recognise the importance of ensuring that the social care system has the nurses, carers and other health professionals that it needs. The EU workforce in the social care sector is absolutely essential to its proper functioning and we deeply care about those who provide the vital care services that patients expect and deserve.It is likely, however, that there will be some decrease in the flow of so-called lower skilled workers from abroad. In recognition of this, on 12 February the Government launched a new national adult social care recruitment campaign. The campaign, ‘Every Day is Different’ showcases how rewarding and varied social care careers can be, with opportunities for progression and professional development. The campaign will run across February and March and raise the image and profile of the sector and encourage people with the right values to apply for current vacancies. The Government also continues to work with its delivery partner Skills for Care to provide a range of resources and practical toolkits for providers to help attract, train and retain staff.

Air Pollution: Health Hazards

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to include the effects on health of air pollution in the (a) Prevention Green Paper, (b) Environment Bill and (c) Road to Zero strategy.

Steve Brine: Air pollution is one of the greatest environmental threats to health. The Department’s prevention paper published in November 2018 sets out our ambition to improve air quality and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevention-is-better-than-cure-our-vision-to-help-you-live-well-for-longerThe Department has been closely involved in the development of the Government’s plans to improve air quality, such as the Environment Bill and Road to Zero strategy, in addition to the recently published clean air strategy, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/clean-air-strategy-2019

Health Services: Disadvantaged

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2019 to Question 213320, when areas with high health inequalities will receive an increase in funding; and whether that increase in funding will require a change to the funding formula for General Practice.

Stephen Hammond: NHS England set clinical commissioning group (CCG) funding allocations. This year, NHS England’s independent advisory committee, the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation, recommended a new approach to health inequalities which was reflected in the CCG allocations published on 10 January 2019. The 2019/20 component of the increase for areas with high health inequalities, which is already included in the aforementioned CCG allocations, will be available from the start of the financial year.The core allocations formula for primary medical care accounts for greater needs for healthcare in more deprived parts of England, and a further adjustment reflects NHS England’s objectives to tackle health inequalities and address unmet need for health services. This adjustment, which targets 15% of the total primary medical care allocation, is based on data on premature mortality at a small area level, aggregated up to CCG level, and thus takes account of inequalities within as well as between CCGs.In addition, the new five-year framework for general practitioner contract reform sets out the requirements for a Directed Enhanced Service (DES) for Primary Care Networks, which includes addressing Inequalities as one of seven national service specifications. The timetable for introducing the Network Contract DES is set out in section 4.15 of the five-year framework. Details specifically relating to the Inequalities service specification can be found in section 6.32 and 6.33. The framework is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/gp-contract-2019.pdf

Diabetes: Medical Treatments

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much NHS England spent on diabetes treatment in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Steve Brine: The information requested is not centrally held.

Heart Diseases: Medical Treatments

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much NHS England spent on heart disease treatment in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Steve Brine: In 2017/18, NHS England spent approximately £1.68 billion on cardiac-related services.However, the majority of spend on treatment for heart disease will rest with clinical commissioning groups who are responsible for working with their local communities to understand the needs of the local populations and make decisions about how best to commission services that meet those needs, in partnership with other local commissioners and organisations.

Podiatry

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that there are sufficient community podiatry services to meet demand in (a) Huddersfield and (b) England.

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on people's foot hygiene of recent changes in the level of podiatry services available.

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the provision of NHS podiatry services in Huddersfield.

Caroline Dinenage: Podiatry services in Greater Huddersfield are provided by Locala Community Partnerships as part of a wider community services contract commissioned by Greater Huddersfield Clinical Commissioning Group. Following a public consultation process undertaken in 2017, Locala has made a number of changes to the service to ensure that it is able to meet the current and predicted future demand. This will mean that those patients whose feet have been assessed as 'at risk' or people with significant podiatry need will be eligible for treatment by Locala Podiatry Services and will ensure those patients with the greatest clinical need and highest risks are seen at the right time, every time. Locala have publicised the changes widely to service users and to local general practitioner practices. Those who are not eligible for the service are being provided with advice and guidance on foot care and signposted to alternative services including Huddersfield University Foot Clinic, independent podiatrists, and to a new nail cutting service which is being delivered by Age UK.   To address the shortfall in podiatrists nationally, NHS England has supported the development of bespoke recruitment campaigns for clinical professions where needed within any workforce shortfalls – this has recently included a focus on podiatry. Health Education England monitor closely the provision of training places and take up to support capacity provision. Within community services, and podiatry services specifically, measures are in place to help review and improve services against targets for foot hygiene. National audit data is published through reports such as the National Diabetes Foot Care Audit which is available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/clinical-audits-and-registries/national-diabetes-foot-care-audit The National Diabetes Foot Care Audit enables all diabetes footcare services to measure their performance against the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guidelines and peer units, and to monitor adverse outcomes for people with diabetes who develop diabetic foot disease.

Strokes: Medical Treatments

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much NHS England spent on stroke treatment in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Steve Brine: The majority of spend on treatment for stroke will rest with clinical commissioning groups who are responsible for working with their local communities to understand the needs of the local populations and make decisions about how best to commission services that meet those needs, in partnership with other local commissioners and organisations.In 2017-18, NHS England spent £1.2 million on neurology specialist stroke services. The financial values have been consolidated through the use of NPoC (National Programme of Care) codes and are taken from NHS England’s annual spend analysis exercise. This exercise uses Provider Aggregate Contract Monitoring as the basis for the data; where this data is incomplete hubs will apportion/estimate any missing values.

Arthritis: Medical Treatments

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much NHS England spent on arthritis treatment in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Steve Brine: Local clinical commissioning groups are responsible for the delivery of services to treat musculoskeletal disorders, such as arthritis, from their respective resource allocations. Much of the care patients with arthritis receive will be provided either in outpatient or community settings, by nurses, community teams or general practitioners as part of general NHS services provision. Whilst information is available on the cost to the National Health Service of drugs that may be used to treat arthritis, these data do not identify the condition for which the drugs were prescribed, and such drugs, may be prescribed for a range of clinical indications.

Antibiotics: Drug Resistance

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress the Government is making on implementing its Anti-microbial Resistance strategy.

Steve Brine: The overarching goal of the Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Strategy (2013-18) was to slow the development and spread of AMR.While the United Kingdom made good progress in reducing its use of antimicrobials in humans and animals over the life of the Strategy and resistance rates in the UK remain stable, the burden of resistance is increasing as infections continue to rise.Around the world, antibiotic use is increasing and challenges remain in ensuring access to safe, effective medicines for those who need them. More progress is also required globally to incentivise investment in new drug development.The Government recognises there is more to do to improve our understanding of AMR, optimise the use of antimicrobials in humans and animals internationally, and address the global failure to develop new diagnostics, therapies and vaccines.The Government published ‘Contained and controlled: The UK’s 20-year vision for antimicrobial resistance’ in January 2019, alongside ‘Tackling antimicrobial resistance 2019–2024: The UK’s five-year national action plan’, which sets out challenging new ambitions to fulfil the UK’s vision on AMR.More information on the UK’s vision and national action plan is published on GOV.UK at the following links:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/773065/uk-20-year-vision-for-antimicrobial-resistance.pdfhttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/773130/uk-amr-5-year-national-action-plan.pdf

Medical Records: Data Protection

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that NHS data is used for beneficial research and patient privacy is retained.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We recognise that high quality and robustly stewarded data is transformative to the delivery of a better health and care system. The Government has invested widely in this area and is working closely with organisations across the healthcare landscape to achieve this.The Government, in collaboration with charitable organisations, has invested £54 million over five years to establish Health Data Research UK, the United Kingdom’s first national Institute focused on health data science. Health Data Research UK is also leading the delivery of the Digital Innovation Hubs, which will create a UK-wide infrastructure and common framework for the safe and responsible use of health-related data at scale for research and innovation. The Clinical Practice Research Datalink is a UK Government research service providing primary care and linked electronic health records for observational and interventional public health research and is used by regulators, Government, industry and academic institutions worldwide.It is paramount that all National Health Service data driven research initiatives adhere to the national level legal, privacy and security obligations, and be in strict accordance with the principles set out by the National Data Guardian. There are multiple safeguards in place – encompassing legislation, security standards and toolkits, independent advisory bodies and the national data opt-out – which ensure that data is used across the health and care system in a safe, secure and legal way. These protections have been strengthened by the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation.

Cancer

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether plans have been put in place to employ additional staff to (a) diagnose and (b) treat cancer.

Steve Brine: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has commissioned Baroness Dido Harding, working closely with Sir David Behan, to lead a number of programmes to engage with key National Health Service interests to develop a detailed workforce implementation plan. These programmes will consider detailed proposals to grow the workforce rapidly, including staff working on cancer, consider additional staff and skills required, build a supportive working culture in the NHS and ensure first rate leadership for NHS staff.

Air Pollution: Children

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of toxic air on children’s health; and will he make a statement.

Steve Brine: Poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the United Kingdom. Long-term exposure to air pollution can cause chronic conditions such as cardiovascular, respiratory diseases and cancer, leading to reduced life expectancy.Air pollution has a particular impact on children as they grow. There is evidence that the process of normal lung function growth in children is suppressed by long-term exposure to air pollution.Research projects studying the effects of air pollution on children’s health include the EXHALE Programme; a London study on air pollution and children’s lung health. The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants has started work to consider the evidence for the effects of air pollution on adverse birth outcomes. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health is working on a report on ‘Indoor Air Quality on Children and Young People’s Health across the Life Course’.

Allergies: Medical Treatments

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of EpiPens.

Steve Brine: Supplies of EpiPen and other adrenaline auto-injectors are currently available in volumes that are sufficient to meet historic United Kingdom requirements. The Department continues to work very closely with all the manufacturers of adrenaline auto-injectors and can confirm that the supply situation continues to improve going forward, with further deliveries expected over the coming weeks. All patients who require an adrenaline auto-injector should now be able to obtain a device from their pharmacy.

Cancer

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the forthcoming workforce implementation plan will include an assessment of the merits of the findings of the Health Education England consultation on the long-term needs of the cancer workforce.

Steve Brine: Health Education England (HEE) published its first ever Cancer Workforce Plan in December 2017. HEE intended to publish a second phase, longer-term strategy that looked at the cancer workforce needs beyond 2021. This work was started and stakeholders from within the National Health Service and the charitable sector contributed to the early discussions. This work has since been superseded by publication of the NHS Long Term Plan in January 2019.My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has subsequently commissioned Baroness Dido Harding, working closely with Sir David Behan, to lead a number of programmes to engage with key NHS interests to develop a detailed workforce implementation plan. These programmes will consider detailed proposals to grow the workforce rapidly, including staff working on cancer, consider additional staff and skills required, build a supportive working culture in the NHS and ensure first rate leadership for NHS staff.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Research

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated to ME/CFS for (a) biopsychological and (b) biopsychosocial research in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated to ME/CFS for biomedical research in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: We do not hold the information requested on funding for myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) research according to biopsychological, biopsychosocial and biomedical research.The following table shows information provided by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) on Departmental programme research funding for ME/CFS, per year, since financial year 2010-11. Further information on this research is available through the NIHR Journals Library at the following link:https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/programmes/ Financial Year£2010-11189,4382011-12381,8742012-13501,4612013-14561,9502014-15426,0552015-16475,6762016-17554,7852017-18464,902 The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including ME/CFS; it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

Integrated Care Systems

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, what the organisational structure will be for Integrated Care Systems; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: Integrated Care System (ICSs) build on the progress already made by Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships.As the NHS Long Term Plan set out, every ICS will have a partnership board drawn from commissioners, primary care networks and local authorities, a non-executive chair and clinical members drawn from across their constituent organisations. The Long Term Plan sets out the ambition that the whole country will be covered by a ICS by April 2021.

Carbon Monoxide: Alarms

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to provide free carbon monoxide monitors to people in their first pregnancy to help protect pregnant people and their children.

Steve Brine: The Department currently has no plans to provide free carbon monoxide monitors to people in their first pregnancy.Exposure to carbon monoxide presents a risk to pregnant women and can be caused by smoking during pregnancy or other environmental factors. The Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle includes an element for reducing smoking in pregnancy by following National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. This will be achieved by offering carbon monoxide testing for all women at the antenatal booking appointment and as appropriate throughout pregnancy, to identify smokers, or those exposed to tobacco smoke, and offer them a referral for support from a trained stop smoking advisor. The NHS Long Term Plan and 2019/20 Planning Guidance sets out that the care bundle will be rolled out across every maternity unit in England in 2019.For all pregnant women, carbon monoxide testing may also highlight a household problem and the need to take measures to prevent further exposure.

Antibiotics

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how he plans to assess the performance of the scheme to design and test a new economic model for antibiotics as set out in the Government’s new Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy, published on 24 January 2019.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timescale is for the scheme to design and test a new economic model for antibiotics as set out in the Government’s new Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy, published on 24 January 2019.

Steve Brine: The aim of the project is to demonstrate the feasibility of innovative models that pay companies for antimicrobials based primarily on a health technology assessment of their value to the National Health Service as opposed to the volumes sold.It is likely that assessment of its performance will include agreement to a health technology assessment valuation framework, completed value assessments of two antimicrobial products and negotiation of a payment framework.The project will be led by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and NHS England and we anticipate that it will launch within the next six months once they have established a central project team. From that point we expect that it will be 18 to 24 months before payments can be made and we can begin to monitor the products and their impact in use to inform the evaluation of the project.The test will be evaluated thoroughly before considering wider change to purchasing policy to ensure that the NHS gets best value from its drug budget.In addition, the United Kingdom Government will consider the project successful if it stimulates other countries to test models in their own domestic markets and together, sufficient incentives are in place to stimulate companies to increase investment in antimicrobial development.

Antibiotics

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the NHS to preferentially purchase antibiotics manufactured in environmentally sustainable ways, as set out in the new Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy, published on 24 January 2019.

Steve Brine: ‘Tackling antimicrobial resistance 2019–2024: The UK’s five-year national action plan’ sets out a commitment to minimise antimicrobial contamination. The United Kingdom will work with other countries to ensure responsible antimicrobial procurement from manufacturers with transparent world class environmental stewardship in their supply chains.Following the publication of the national action plan, NHS England’s Commercial Medicines Unit is considering the ways in which future framework agreements could be modified to address relevant aspects, including environmental sustainability.

Vaccination

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to review its targets for coverage and uptake of vaccines that help prevent antimicrobial resistance as a result of the Government’s new Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy, published on 24 January 2019.

Steve Brine: Vaccines are an important tool for the prevention of infection, as highlighted in the United Kingdom Government’s 20-year vision on antimicrobial resistance, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-20-year-vision-for-antimicrobial-resistanceUptake and assessment of coverage of new vaccines to help prevent antimicrobial resistance will be dependent on how successful research programmes for the development of new products in this area progress. This remains under constant review.

Vaccination

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to work with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to establish a value assessment measure of antimicrobial resistance in the consideration of existing and new immunisation programmes.

Steve Brine: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is aware that vaccination has an important role in controlling antimicrobial resistance but considers that current models are not sufficiently developed to fully estimate and quantify the potential impact of vaccines on the burden of antimicrobial resistance. Many of the potential benefits of vaccination in relation to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) cannot therefore be easily included in estimates of cost-effectiveness.The JCVI has suggested that better tools need to be developed to estimate and quantify the potential impact of vaccines in reducing the long-term burden of AMR. This could then inform cost-effectiveness analyses. The National Institute of Health Research, Health Protection Research Unit, based at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, is currently working on the development of such models.As most resistant infections are healthcare associated, the new JCVI Healthcare Associated Infections Working Group, set up to review and provide preliminary advice to JCVI on the potential use of appropriate vaccines in the United Kingdom, will help to address this issue.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham: Asthma

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) adults and (b) children have attended Queen Elizabeth hospital Birmingham A&E as a result of asthma in each year since 2010; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of A&E admissions for asthma.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) adults and (b) children have been admitted to hospital as a result of asthma in (a) the Birmingham Edgbaston constituency, (b) Birmingham and (c) the West Midlands in each year since 2010.

Steve Brine: This information is not available in the format requested.A count of attendances to accident and emergency (A&E) with a diagnosis of respiratory disease broken down by age for the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, between 2010-11 and 2017-18, is attached.A count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary diagnosis of asthma for the age groups 0-17 years and 18 years and over, in Birmingham Edgbaston Westminster parliamentary constituency, Birmingham Westminster parliamentary constituencies, and West Midland Government Office Region of residence, for the years 2010-11 to 2017-18, is attached.The data in both tables should not be described as a count of people as the same person may have been admitted to hospital on one or more occasion.



Count of attendances to A&E
(Excel SpreadSheet, 20.6 KB)




FAE primary diagnosis of asthma
(Excel SpreadSheet, 24.83 KB)

Asthma: Prescriptions

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has put in place plans to support asthma sufferers with the cost of their prescriptions; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The Department has extensive arrangements in place to ensure that people can access affordable prescriptions for which someone with asthma may qualify. A broad range of prescription charge exemptions are in place, and, to support those with greatest need who do not qualify for an exemption, prescription prepayment certificates are available. A holder of a 12-month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just £2 per week. There are no current plans to amend the list of medical conditions that provides exemption from prescription charges.

Department of Health and Social Care: Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many apprentices are employed in his Department.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department currently has 48 employees who are undertaking an apprenticeship qualification as shown in the following table. Business Administration17Finance Tax Professional15Policy5Human Resources3Project Management2Procurement1Software Development Technician1Digital and Technology1Data Analyst1Public Relations1Commercial1Total48

Cancer

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on cancer (a) diagnosis times and (b) treatment and care of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Steve Brine: The Department is working with its partners across Government, in the health sector and in industry to ensure that the supply of essential services and products is not disrupted following our exit from the European Union, including the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Health Services

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the continuation of healthcare packages for all patients currently qualifying for such packages in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Stephen Hammond: As we prepare to leave the European Union, the Government is planning for all scenarios, including the event that the United Kingdom leaves the EU without a deal.Our priority is to minimise disruption to the health and social care system, including ensuring continuity of access to health and care services for patients after the UK leaves the EU. This includes continued engagement with health and social care employers across the sectors to provide a seamless supply of medicines and medical products from the moment we leave the EU The UK Government appreciates the importance of retaining reciprocal healthcare arrangements with the EU and is seeking agreements with Member States, so that no individual will face sudden changes to their healthcare cover when we leave the EU

Talcum Powder: Health Hazards

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the health implications of long-term use of talcum powder in (a) infants and (b) adults.

Steve Brine: Public Health England has not made an assessment of the health implications for the long-term use of talcum powder in infants or adults.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Consultants

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department spent on external consultants in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018.

Alistair Burt: The table below shows the value of spend on external consultants in 2017 and 2018. Year Spend 17/18 FY£11,63018/19 YTD£2,900

Developing Countries: Water

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much of her Department's budget was spent on water infrastructure projects in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018.

Alistair Burt: In 2017 the Department spent £177 million on water supply and sanitation. Due to the integrated nature of our water, sanitation and hygiene programmes, we do not report on disaggregated spend between the three sub-sectors. The estimate of funds planned for water and sanitation on Devtracker for 2018-19 is £201.5 million.

Developing Countries: Water

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how the quality of water infrastructure funded by her Department is monitored.

Alistair Burt: The quality of infrastructure is critical in the design of DFID water programmes to ensure that the water provided is safe and the system can deliver a sustainable service. We monitor the quality of water infrastructure though processes such as field visits, annual reviews and in some programmes through independent monitoring, verification and evaluation providers who provide assessments of services delivered. In our results methodology we set out the requirements for DFID WASH programmes to show how they have addressed the sustainability of services provided by water infrastructure.

Department for Education

Department for Education: Brexit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many officials from his Department have been seconded from their primary role to make preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Holding answer received on 15 February 2019



It is the top priority of the government to leave the EU with a deal, but it is also the responsibility of government to prepare for all scenarios, including the prospect of a no deal. The Civil Service is focused on delivering the government’s most pressing priorities, so it is only sensible that we make use of the resources and expertise we have available to make sure the UK is prepared for all Brexit scenarios on exit day. This includes departments sharing staff and working together on joint projects. The number of people seconded to other government departments to support preparations for leaving the EU without a deal is 70.

Apprentices: Small Businesses

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the take up of apprenticeships by SMEs has been by (a) level, (b) sector and (c) county.

Anne Milton: The most recent statistics on apprenticeship starts for the 2016/17 academic year by level, employer size, sector of business and Government Office Region (GOR) are available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/750709/apprenticeship_starts_tables.xlsx.These are experimental statistics and only reflect apprenticeship starts from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) that could be matched to employer information from the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR), therefore totals are different from those published in the Further Education and Skills Statistical Release.(a) Number of matched apprenticeship starts by employer size and level, 2016/17:Employer sizeLevel of apprenticeshipSmall (0-49)Medium (50-249)Large (250+)TotalIntermediate88,27038,200110,360236,830Advanced67,70030,63081,100179,430Higher10,2005,97017,39033,560Total166,17074,800208,850449,830Source: ILR-IDBR matched data (totals may not sum due to rounding) (b) Number of matched apprenticeship starts by employer size and sector, 2016/17:Employer size SectorSmall (0-49)Medium (50-249)Large (250+)TotalA - Agriculture1,7002802102,190B - Mining2030130180C - Manufacturing9,1309,49017,56036,170D - Energy utilities801401,4001,620E - Water Utilities4002601,1001,760F - Construction21,3303,9006,39031,610G - Wholesale and Retail trade17,1105,58021,73044,420H - Transportation2,3101,7307,91011,950I - Accommodation/catering9,8202,64014,60027,050J - Information/communication4,5301,0903,8009,410K - Financial services2,3801,45010,83014,660L - Real estate3,2901,0103,6907,980M - Professional/scientific11,0403,5306,55021,130N - Administrative services10,3905,52014,27030,180O - Public administration19044022,18022,800P - Education8,5705,81019,41033,780Q - Health/social work42,39028,42050,870121,680R - Arts/entertainment4,1502,4305,44012,030S - Other service activities16,8301,08078018,690T - Household activities140*10150Unknown390**390Total matched apprenticeship starts166,17074,800208,850449,830Source: ILR-IDBR matched data (totals may not sum due to rounding)* Indicates where numbers 0, 1 or 2 have been suppressed.(c) Number of matched apprenticeship starts by employer size and GOR, 2016/17:Employer sizeGOR of workplaceSmall (0-49)Medium (50-249)Large (250+)TotalNorth East9,9604,88014,93029,770North West28,33012,70029,18070,220Yorkshire and The Humber19,7009,58028,88058,150East Midlands16,9307,32017,63041,880West Midlands22,0609,76025,00056,820East of England15,8706,75019,83042,440London14,9706,72022,10043,790South East21,0709,70026,98057,750South West16,9507,23023,49047,660Other/Unknown3301808401,350Total matched apprenticeship starts166,17074,800208,850449,830Source: ILR-IDBR matched data (totals may not sum due to rounding)Due to the methodology behind these experimental statistics we do not provide regional data at a lower level of granularity than GOR. We are developing the methodology which will potentially allow for more detailed breakdowns in the future.

Department of Education: Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprentices are employed in his Department.

Anne Milton: As of 31 January 2019, the Department for Education employed 209 apprentices.

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice: Brexit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many officials from his Department have been seconded from their primary role to make preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 15 February 2019



Delivering the deal negotiated with the EU remains the Government’s top priority. This has not changed. However, the Government must prepare for every eventuality, including a no deal scenario. As we approach 29 March, we have accelerated and intensified these preparations and at the same time, the Civil Service as a whole is working to ensure that EU Exit Implementation is carried out to high quality without impacting public service delivery across the whole of government. The approximate total number of people working on EU exit across the MoJ is 110. The MoJ EU exit programme includes work on both deal and no-deal scenarios in preparation for the UK exit from the EU.

Criminal Investigation

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Serious Further Offence investigations in which the supervising body was (a) the National Probation Service and (b) a Community Rehabilitation Company there have been in each year since 2014; and in how many of those investigations was the new offence (i) murder, (ii) manslaughter, (iii) rape, (iv) violence against the person and (v) sexual assault.

Lucy Frazer: A Serious Further Offence (SFO) review is undertaken where an offender under statutory supervision in the community is charged with a qualifying offence – a “notification”. Not every notification results in a conviction for an SFO, as charges are changed or dropped prior to the completion of the review. Serious further offences are rare. Fewer than 0.5% of offenders under statutory supervision are convicted of serious further offences. Nonetheless, every single serious further offence is taken extremely seriously, and in all cases a review is carried out to identify any lessons for the better management of future cases. The table below provides the number of serious further offences (SFOs) investigations (reviews) in which the supervising body was (a) the National Probation Service (NPS) and (b) a Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) completed between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2018, by (i) murder, (ii) manslaughter, (iii) rape, (iv) violence against the person and (v) sexual assault. ..Probation Provider SFO Offence2015201620172018a) National Probation Service(i) Murder28244743(ii) Manslaughter2352(iii) Rape12411312476(iv) Violence against the person95105149137(v) Sexual assault43363724Total Offences292281362282b) Community Rehabilitation Companies(i) Murder42476571(ii) Manslaughter35138(iii) Rape10114113273(iv) Violence against the person44404955(v) Sexual assault122144Total Offences202235273211Total Reviews received494516635493Rape includes; rape, rape of a child under 13, attempted rape, assault by penetration and intercourse with a child under 13Violence against the person includes; attempt or conspiracy to commit murder, other offences resulting in death, and all other SFO qualifying offences that are classified as violentSexual assault includes; all other SFO qualifying sexual offencesUnder the Offender Rehabilitation Act (ORA) 2014 offenders serving short prison sentences are now released on licence. As a direct and predicted result, there has been an increase in the number of SFO notifications as a result of ORA. This does not mean that a greater proportion of offenders under statutory probation supervision are being charged with SFOs. The increase plateaued in 2017.The number of ORA cases only includes those cases that would not have previously fallen in scope of the SFO procedures as mentioned above. Cases that were sentenced to an ORA sentence of less than 12 months, but who were previously and concurrently subject to probation intervention, have not been captured within this figure. For example, the offender was subject to a community order, when he was further sentenced to under 12 month sentence under ORA. If the CO was active at the time of the SFO, it would have qualified regardless of the ORA sentence, so has not been counted in the ORA numbers.Data Sources and Quality .We have drawn these figures from administrative IT systems which, as with some large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Administration of Justice: Finance

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on the criminal justice system of reductions to his Departmental's budget.

Lucy Frazer: We are focused on ensuring that we continue to deliver justice in a modernised criminal justice system, and are delivering this through investment and effective management of the system. We are investing £1billion to provide a court system that is accessible to all, works better for everyone, and will ensure our courts are fit for the future. We also spent £1.6bn on legal aid last year alone, more than half of which was on criminal legal aid, and are now making changes to ensure it is available into the future and continues to play an important role in supporting access to justice. We are also working closely with the Attorney General’s Office and Home Office to ensure that all the agencies involved in the criminal justice system have a shared overview of the challenges, opportunities and reforms facing it and an effective forum for tackling these through the Criminal Justice Board.

Administration of Justice: Finance

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what representations he has made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding of the criminal justice system in the forthcoming Government spending review.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prison Officers: Riot Control Weapons

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, at how many prisons officers have been issued with PAVA spray since January 2019.

Lucy Frazer: Since January 2019 planning has taken place to ensure a thorough and safe implementation of PAVA. Prior to issuing the product every site is required to undertake a readiness assessment, in addition we are undertaking a thorough Equalities Analysis to inform policy and training. These necessary steps are progress towards the national rollout of PAVA, therefore to date since January 2019 no prisons have been issued with PAVA whilst these tasks are underway.

Prison Officers: Riot Control Weapons

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when it is planned to issue officers at all adult male public sector prisons with PAVA spray; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The planning for the national rollout has been underway since October 2018 when the decision was announced. With such a significant introduction to our service it is necessary to thoroughly prepare our prisons and ensure that all policy and training is reviewed. We are currently undertaking a thorough Equalities Analysis which is a vital step towards implementation, subsequently we will commence readiness assessments at each prison before training and issuing of PAVA will commence. The implementation is planned to take 18-24 months, establishments will receive PAVA once all of the above actions are complete and within the timeframe set out.

Trials: ICT

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court cases were disrupted as a result of the recent IT failures in the courts system.

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what compensation will be made available to (a) court users and (b) legal professionals as a result of the disruption caused by the recent IT failures in the courts system.

Lucy Frazer: The recent disruption to IT systems intermittently affected HMCTS Court and Tribunal sites across England and Wales and the Scottish Tribunals. On 25 January 2019 connectivity had been restored across the Ministry of Justice estate. Due to the hard work and efforts of HMCTS staff the impact on cases and court and tribunals users was limited and only a very small proportion of cases suffered disruption. Hearings continued to progress in our courts, though we appreciate the extra burden placed on court users, and the issues did not lead to detaining defendants or freeing criminals unlawfully. We know how frustrating this was for our staff and users and again we apologise. All compensation claims are considered on their own merits, therefore it is not possible to confirm what compensation will be available.

Trials

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what representations he has received on floating and warned listing arrangements in criminal courts.

Lucy Frazer: Listing is a judicial function administered by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) on judicial direction. Views on listing practices including the use of floating and warned lists are raised with Ministers and officials in the course of regular engagement with legal practitioners, their representative bodies, and representatives of public users of courts and tribunals. Most recently, floating and warned lists were raised in a meeting with legal practitioners, attended by the Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales, which discussed court users’ experiences and the future administration of judicial listing decisions.

Courts: Closures

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court buildings that have closed since 2010 have (a) been sold and (b) remain unsold; how much money has been raised by those sales; and what the cost to the public purse has been of maintaining unsold court premises.

Lucy Frazer: Of the court buildings that have closed since 2010, 158 have been sold and 15 remain unsold. HMCTS courts buildings are sold as quickly as possible while ensuring fair value for the taxpayer. A total of £231.7m has been raised from sales (as at 31 December 2018) Information regarding the cost to the public purse of maintaining unsold court premises could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The closure of any court is not taken lightly – it only happens following full public consultation. We have been clear that courts are only being closed where they are underused, dilapidated or too close to one another. This government is investing over £1 billion to reform and modernise the justice system, providing easier and more efficient justice for all. As we increase the use of digital services, it makes sense to consider the wider role and need for court buildings and assess whether some are still necessary to provide effective access to justice.

Treasury

Enterprise Investment Scheme

Cat Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether community benefit societies are eligible for the enterprise investment scheme.

Mel Stride: Community Benefit Societies are eligible to receive investments under the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), subject to meeting all the EIS rules. The rules include a requirement for the company to trade commercially with a view to profit, including where the company intends to use its profits to benefit the community.

Stamp Duties: Foreign Nationals

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress he has made in raising stamp duty for foreign buyers of UK property.

Mel Stride: At Budget 2018, the government announced it would consult on a new one per cent Stamp Duty Land Tax surcharge for non-UK residents purchasing residential property in England and Northern Ireland. The consultation, published on 11 February 2019, sets out the proposed design of the surcharge. The government welcomes comments from individuals, companies, advisers, representative bodies and others who would be affected by these changes. The consultation will run until 6 May 2019 and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/stamp-duty-land-tax-non-uk-resident-surcharge-consultation.

Revenue and Customs: Automation

Eddie Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when small businesses will be able to automate the payment to HMRC of National Insurance and PAYE for employees.

Mel Stride: HMRC currently enables employers to pay their PAYE/NIC liability by Direct Debit. Guidance on how to do this can be found on the gov.uk website at https://www.gov.uk/pay-paye-tax/direct-debit. Employers can currently only make single Direct Debit payments, meaning they must set up a payment each time they pay. This is because the amount owed can include elements which do not have to be reported to HMRC until too close to the payment deadline to allow us to automatically collect by Direct Debit. HMRC recognises the benefits of payment by Direct Debit and will continue to look at how to enable customers to set up ongoing Direct Debit arrangements.

Revenue and Customs: East Kilbride

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the IMF estimate that the closure of the East Kilbride HMRC centre will result in a loss of up to £30 million to the East Kilbride economy and more than 2,000 jobs.

Mel Stride: HMRC expects the vast majority of staff in East Kilbride to move with HMRC to the Glasgow Regional Centre when the transitional site, at Queensway House, closes in 2025-26 as referenced in UIN 181245. HMRC has not undertaken an economic impact assessment of the closure of its office in East Kilbride, as it is an operational decision to move to regional centres in order to improve the efficiency and delivery of HMRC’s objectives. It expects the economic impact on East Kilbride to be limited as the majority of staff will still be employed by HMRC, in Glasgow, but will remain resident in or near East Kilbride.

Treasury: Bullying

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff in his Department reported experiencing bullying or harassment at work in the most recent Civil Service People Survey.

Robert Jenrick: Bullying and harassment has no place in any workplace, including the Civil Service. In the most recent People Survey, 11% of respondents, on average across the Civil Service, told us that they'd experienced bullying or harassment at work in the 12 months preceding the survey. Whilst this figure has remained stable since 2016, we recognise that certain groups of staff are more like to say they have experienced this type of unacceptable behaviour than others. This includes staff members with long-term limiting conditions who, in the vast majority of departments and agencies, were more likely to say they'd been bullied or harassed in the last 12 months than staff members with no long-term limiting conditions. We are strengthening the routes for staff to report bullying and harassment to ensure that all staff are fully supported throughout the process, and to ensure cultures are positive and inclusive. HM Treasury has just published new Dispute Resolution and Discipline policies. The products have been designed to be more supportive and to promote a culture where people feel able to raise a concern, confident that they will be listened to and that their concerns will be taken seriously. The high level People Survey results for each organisation, including reported rates of bullying and harassment, were published last December on gov.uk. Each spring the Cabinet Office conducts and publishes a range of further analysis on the People Survey responses, including the results by gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and health status. Similar analysis will be conducted again this year and made available on gov.uk.

Cider: Excise Duties

Chris Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect that an increase in the small producer's relief scheme to 30,000 litres would have on the growth of small cider producers in the UK.

Robert Jenrick: HM Treasury keeps all taxes, including alcohol duty, under review. However, HM Treasury currently has no plans to expand the small cider maker’s exemption. The exemption aims to remove small scale, non-commercial cider production from the duty system and we consider that a limit of 7,000 litres remains appropriate for this.

Productivity

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to increase the productivity of the UK economy.

Robert Jenrick: Autumn Budget announced the next steps we are taking to boost productivity. This includes increasing the National Productivity Investment Fund to more than £37bn to fund important investments in our infrastructure. We are also setting up the National Roads Fund which will provide vital improvements to our road network, piloting new approaches to rural fibre rollout, and supporting new technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Productivity

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of recent trends in economic productivity in the UK.

Robert Jenrick: The only sustainable way to raise wages, boost living standards, and increase growth is to boost UK productivity. Since 2010 we have provided over half a trillion pounds in capital investment, increased investment in skills, and reduced taxes for businesses. At the Autumn Budget, we took further action to increase productivity. Productivity grew by 0.2% in the last quarter (Q4 2018) and is now 1.9% above its pre-crisis peak. Slow productivity growth since the crisis has not been a phenomenon exclusive to the UK, but across the G7.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Homelessness: Coastal Areas

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of changes in the level of homelessness since 2013 in (a) coastal communities and (b) Southport.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The government has not assessed the changes in the level of homelessness since 2013 in coastal communities. However, the number of households accepted as being homeless and in priority need for all local authorities in England from the financial year 2004–05 can be found in Table 784 here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness.The above link provides information on levels of homelessness by local authority, so please refer to the Local Authority of Sefton.A new case-level homelessness data collection system was introduced in April 2018 and will provide a much richer source of information at the household level, including information on support needs. The latest published information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statutory-homelessness-in-england-april-to-june-2018.

Housing: Construction

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate the Government has made of the amount of Section 106 funding lost from local communities when new homes are created under permitted development rather than through granted planning permission.

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate the Government has made of the number of affordable homes lost to local communities under permitted development.

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the type of households living in permitted development compared to housing delivered through planning permission.

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to carry out an assessment on the location of homes created under permitted development.

Kit Malthouse: National permitted development rights for the change of use to residential are making an important contribution to housing delivery, bringing forward additional homes that may not otherwise have been developed. Nationally over 46,000 homes to rent or buy were delivered under the rights in the three years to March 2018. My department publishes Live tables on housing supply: net additional dwellings which includes information on the homes developed under permitted development rights in each local authority district.In bringing forward permitted development rights we have recognised that the only additional funding to local planning authorities through planning obligations will be where additional floor space is created and there is a Community Infrastructure Levy charging schedule in place.

Planning Permission

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate the Government has made of the number of planning officers required to bring planning departments to full capacity.

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government made of the skills gap in the planning sector.

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate the Government has made of the number of vacant posts in planning departments in England.

Kit Malthouse: The Government recognises that having well-resourced and skilled planning departments is essential for the delivery of our ambitious housing programme. We are working with the Local Government Association and the Royal Town Planning Institute to understand the resourcing and skills needs in council planning departments.

Local Government: Land

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the number of local authorities that do not have a five-year land supply in place.

Kit Malthouse: The Government does not monitor the number of authorities with a five year supply of housing land, as it is a dynamic measure that can change frequently as new permissions are granted and sites are built-out.The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published in July 2018, allows local planning authorities adopting new plans to ‘fix’ their five year land supply for a period of a year, and subsequently to renew this using annual position statements. This will allow a more transparent and stable assessment of five year supply in those areas that choose to confirm their supply position in this way.

Planning

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Department has taken since 2017 to make the planning system more transparent.

Kit Malthouse: The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published in July 2018, brought in a number of reforms designed to increase the transparency of the planning system. These include expecting authorities to publish statements of common ground, making clear how strategic issues requiring the co-operation of other authorities are being addressed. The Framework also makes viability assessments publicly available, standardising how information on viability and planning obligations should be published, so that the process and findings are accessible to communities. The Housing Delivery Test, will also show which areas are delivering the homes their communities need.

Land: Ownership

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress the Department has made since 2017 in increasing transparency on who owns land and the options held over it.

Kit Malthouse: My department is working with HM Land Registry to meet the commitment of registering all publicly-owned land by 2025, with the aim of achieving comprehensive registration in England and Wales by 2030. To assist this process, it has recently published a list of unregistered land believed to be owned by central and local government. The list is available at https://data.gov.uk/dataset/4f5ed3a2-1dbc-41bc-ba1b-bf840e781e08/central-and-local-government-un-registered-land.

Local Plans

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure that local authorities have a local plan in place.

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to set a deadline for local authorities to have a local plan.

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to carry out analysis into why local plans are being delayed.

Kit Malthouse: In 2015 the Government commissioned the Local Plans Expert Group to consider how local plan making could be made more efficient and effective. Their recommendations were reflected in the revised National Planning Policy Framework that was published in July 2018.The Government wants to see all authorities produce up to date local plan policies that set a positive vision for the future of their area and has provided flexibility in the revised National Planning Policy Framework for how this is put in place.In November 2017, the formal process of intervention commenced in fifteen areas that had failed to get a local plan in place for a more than a decade. We monitor plan progress to identify delays against authorities’ published timetables, and identify where additional support may be beneficial, as well as where intervention may be necessary as a last resort.

Housing: Construction

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to assess the safety of building materials used on houses built with permitted development.

Kit Malthouse: All homes, whether granted permission through a national permitted development right or on a planning application are required to meet Building Regulations, including fire safety.

Unitary Councils

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with the Local Government Boundary Commission for England on establishing the optimum (a) size of electoral division and (b) number of elected councillors in each county division before the April 2020 vesting deadline for new unitary local authorities; and what the outcome was of those discussions.

Rishi Sunak: My officials meet regularly with officers of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England where a range of matters are discussed including the Government’s intentions for implementing proposals for new unitary councils. All such discussions are in the context of the Government’s clear recognition of the independence of the Commission and an appreciation of the Commission’s published guidance on electoral matters and its aim that electoral arrangements for councils should seek to be fair and deliver equality of representation for electors.

Local Government: Reorganisation

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect that establishing the new unitary local government system will have on the equality of representation for electors.

Rishi Sunak: It is through the electoral reviews undertaken by the independent Local Government Boundary Commission for England that there can be confidence about equality of representation for electors. Where new unitary councils are set up their electoral arrangements for the first election will be established either through a Commission’s electoral review, or if an early review is not practicable, provided for in the order creating the new council drawing on existing electoral arrangements established by the Commission for predecessor councils. In the latter case it is expected that the Commission would undertake a review for subsequent elections, particularly if it judged that equality of representation for electors was not being effectively delivered.

Homelessness: Veterans

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of people who were homeless in 2018 who had previously served in the armed forces.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government collects quarterly and annual statistics on the number of people who present as homeless to English local authorities. Until April 2018, veterans formed part of a wider vulnerable group category that included care leavers, ex-offenders and those who have fled their home because of violence or the threat of violence (other than domestic violence). As a result we are not able to identify the number of veterans presenting as homeless from this period.In April 2018 the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government introduced a new case-level data collection called H-CLIC (Homelessness Case Level Information Collection). This gives local authorities and Government more information regarding homelessness and those presenting as homeless, including people who self-declared as having served in the armed forces as a separate categoryIn England from April to June 2018, of the 58,660 households to who, at the point of initial decision, were owed a homelessness duty by the local authority, 0.7 per cent (430) of main applicants stated they had served in the armed forces.The latest local authority level statistics, and quarterly statistics since 2009, can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness.This Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy which sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.

Ministry of Defence

EU Defence Policy

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it is the Government’s intention to seek (a) continued participation of the (i) European Defence Agency and (ii) European Defence Fund or (b) to be part of Permanent Structured Co-operation (PESCO).

Stuart Andrew: The proposed terms for the UK's participation in EU agencies and bodies until the end of 2020 are set out in Article 128 of the Withdrawal Agreement. As outlined in the Political Declaration, the UK will seek an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency (EDA) that would enable us to participate in EDA projects and programmes where it is of mutual benefit, to further our defence cooperation opportunities. The Political Declaration provides the option for the UK to participate in capability projects through the European Defence Fund, subject to conditions in Union Law. Any UK participation in EDF projects would be aligned with our requirements and represent value for money. The UK has not joined Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), but recognises its potential to support increased defence investment in Europe and the development of capabilities that contribute to NATO. The Government is scrutinising the current list of PESCO projects to identify which of those we might have an interest in, or be able to add value to, as a third country. Our future participation is subject to the rules governing third country access that are still being negotiated by PESCO Participating Member States.

Armed Forces: Commonwealth

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Commonwealth nationals joined the Armed Forces in each year since 2013.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Mark Lancaster) on 21 January 2019 to Question 208803 to the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell).



208803 - Commonwealth: Armed Forces
(Word Document, 27.96 KB)

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Personal Records

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many records her Department holds that have reached the time limit for their transfer to the National Archives but have not been transferred.

John Penrose: The Public Records Act defines a record as a document. The Northern Ireland Office does not have a record of how many documents have reached their time limit for transfer to the National Archives. It would incur disproportionate costs to answer this question.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Environmental Stewardship Scheme: St Austell and Newquay

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farmers in St Austell and Newquay constituency have not received payment from the Rural Payments Agency for their (a) Entry Level Stewardship and (b) Higher Level Stewardship claims for 2017.

George Eustice: Unlike Countryside Stewardship, which is a newer scheme, the information held centrally on Environmental Stewardship agreements and claims does not reliably contain the detail which would allow us to identify that a claimant resided in a particular constituency. The resource cost to give Environmental Stewardship claim data at parliamentary constituency level is too great. Across England, for 2017 just under 98% of Environmental Stewardship agreement holders have received their advance payment and 80% have received their 2017 final payment. The Rural Payments Agency took on administration of Environmental Stewardship in October 2018 and is continuing to simplify the administration of the scheme as far as possible under the current EU system.

Air Pollution

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the Government's analysis of the action required to bring UK air pollution within the limits specified by the World Health Organisation.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government is in the process of preparing a report examining what action would be needed to bring concentrations of PM2.5 below the World Health Organization’s 10 μg/m3 annual mean guideline level across England. We plan to publish the report early this year. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Edinburgh West on 14 February 2019 to PQ 219552 for further details.

Food: Packaging

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research his Department has undertaken on the availability of fully compostable food packaging.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to promote and support the use of fully compostable food packaging; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of food waste packaging used in the UK that is fully compostable.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy outlines our plans to reduce plastic pollution and our commitment to eliminate avoidable plastic waste. Packaging reform is our immediate priority, and we are consulting on reforms to the current packaging regulations. We have committed to working towards all plastic packaging placed on the market being recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. We will continue to establish and evaluate appropriate evidence, and once life-cycle analysis has established which product groups biodegradable or compostable plastics may be beneficial for, we will look at them again on a case by case basis. We have no current estimates for fully compostable food waste packaging use in the UK.

Packaging: Plastics

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to ban the use of single-use plastic packaging in the next five years.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to seek a zero plastic waste future within five years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government published its Resources and Waste Strategy in December last year which sets out our plans to reduce plastic pollution. Domestically we have made good progress, from banning microbeads in rinse-off personal care products and removing 15.6 billion plastic bags from circulation with our 5p charge to strengthening the protection of our marine areas. We are currently consulting on extending and increasing the carrier bag charge. We are also consulting on reforming existing packaging waste regulations, introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers, and increasing consistency in the recycling system. Legislative proposals will be developed taking account of the consultation responses. Our ambition is to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste - not just single use plastics - throughout the lifetime of the 25 Year Environment Plan. However, for the most problematic plastics we are going faster, which is why we commit to work towards all plastic packaging placed on the UK market being recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. In general, we prefer to help people and companies make the right choice, rather than banning items outright. There may, however, be times when a ban is appropriate as part of a wider strategic approach. We have concluded a consultation on banning the distribution and/or sale of plastic straws, drink stirrers, and plastic stemmed cotton buds and will shortly be publishing a summary of responses. We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and/or materials to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of unnecessary single use plastic products, including problematic packaging materials.

Water: Standards

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Government has to ensure the quality of (a) bathing water at UK beaches and (b) drinking water after the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The EU Withdrawal Act 2018 will make sure all existing EU environmental law continues to operate in UK law, providing businesses and stakeholders with certainty as we leave the EU. This will include the secondary legislation which has already transposed the EU Bathing Water Directive, which will ensure the UK maintains or surpasses the same standards and levels of testing for water quality required of EU Member States. In January 2018, the Government published its 25 Year Plan for the environment detailing our ambition to be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we found it. As part of its plan for clean and plentiful water, the Government aims to minimise harmful bacteria in designated bathing waters by 2030 and make sure that potential bathers are warned of any short term pollution risks. Drinking water and bathing waters are both devolved matters. With regards to drinking water, standards derived from the EU Drinking Water Directive have been transposed into UK law and the regulations in force cover the whole of the UK. These standards apply currently and will continue to apply when the UK leaves the EU. National standards which are not directly derived from the EU Drinking Water Directive are also enshrined in UK law and will remain so once the UK leaves. The UK is covered by three technical regulators of drinking water quality: the Drinking Water Inspectorate covering England and Wales, the Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland and the Drinking Water Inspectorate for Northern Ireland. These organisations will continue their role in scrutinising water company activities and enforcing standards on departure from the EU. Bathing water quality standards are derived from the EU Bathing Water Directive and will also continue to apply when the UK leaves the EU. Water quality is monitored by the Environment Agency (in England), Natural Resources Wales, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

Moorland: Environment Protection

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Natural England’s initiative to secure voluntary commitments from upland landowners and managers to suspend the rotational burning of blanket bog habitat in England, how many voluntary commitments were (a) requested by Natural England, (b) made without amendment, (c) made with amendment, (d) refused by the rights-holder and (e) are outstanding.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Natural England’s initiative to secure voluntary commitments from upland landowners and managers to suspend the rotational burning of blanket bog habitat in England, what area of deep peat soils is estimated to be located on those estates that have made a voluntary commitment (a) without and (b) with amendment.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Natural England’s initiative to secure voluntary commitments from upland landowners and managers to suspend the rotational burning of blanket bog habitat, what area of deep peat soils is estimated to be located on those estates that have (a) refused to sign and (b) not yet signed a voluntary commitment.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Special Areas of Conservation in England, how many consents or permissions to burn blanket bog Natural England is seeking to (a) modify and (b) revoke in order to end the practice of burning in that globally important habitat.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Special Areas of Conservation in England, how many consents or permissions to burn blanket bog Natural England has successfully (a) revoked and (b) modified to secure the permanent cessation of burning that globally important habitat.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Special Areas of Conservation in England, how many consents or permissions Natural England has issued for the practice of restoration burning; and in which Special Areas of Conservation those consents or permissions have been issued.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: This is a devolved matter and the below relates to England only. In February 2018, 213 Voluntary Commitments (VCs) were sent out to landowners. 157 VCs were returned signed, 19 returned refused to sign, and 37 are outstanding. By signing a VC, the landowner or manager is agreeing to suspend rotational burning on blanket bog habitat, as opposed to deep peat soils, and to work with Natural England (NE) to develop Long Term Management Plans or equivalent remedies to modify or revoke any consent concerning rotational burning. The VC is the first step towards the cessation of rotational burning on blanket bog. To date, NE has revoked or modified 124 consents or permissions by developing Long Term Plans or equivalent remedies such as Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) Revisions, HLS Extensions or voluntary surrender. In total, NE are working to modify or revoke 402 consents or permissions to rotationally burn on blanket bog habitat designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC). NE have issued 6 consents for restoration burning on the following blanket bog Special Areas of Conservation: 2 in the South Pennines SAC and 4 in the North Pennines SAC.

Thames Estuary: Floods

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of flood risk to the Thames Estuary.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Increasing pressures, including climate change, mean that tidal flood risk in the Thames Estuary will increase over time. The Environment Agency’s (EA) Thames Estuary 2100 Plan (TE2100) sets out how to manage increased tidal flood risk across the Thames Estuary from now until the end of the century. The latest UK Climate Projections 2018 show that the highest projection of relative mean sea level rise for London is a 1.15m increase between 1990 and 2100. Whilst higher than the initial estimate of 90cm, this is well below the ‘worst case scenario’ of 2.7m in TE2100. In 2016, the first five year review of TE2100 was published and looked at indicators covering a wide range of tidal flood risk scenarios, including sea level rise, conditions of flood defences, development along the estuary and any physical changes within the estuary itself. The review showed tidal flood risk is increasing, as more people now live and work in areas which benefit from tidal flood defences. The EA estimates there are now 1.3 million people and £275 billion worth of property in areas of the Thames Estuary which would be at greater risk of flooding if defences were not in place. These increases are in line with forecasts on which TE2100 is based and confirm that it remains fit for purpose. A full review of TE2100 is scheduled for 2020.

Birds: Conservation

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) effectiveness of the Natural England licensing process in protecting endangered species of birds.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Natural England has an ongoing programme of reviewing and, where appropriate, reforming the licensing system. Detailed reviews of the General and Class Licences were undertaken in 2014 and 2008/9, including public consultation on proposed changes. A number of changes were made after the 2008/9 consultation, and fewer more minor changes following the 2014 consultation. Licences to take action against bird species are only granted if there are no other satisfactory solutions and there is no detrimental impact on the conservation status of native wild bird populations and protected species. This effect, including the cumulative effect of other licences, is considered for each individual licence.

Home Office

Disclosure and Barring Service

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to make meaningful progress on the Disclosure and Barring Service modernisation programme.

Victoria Atkins: The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) has taken full account of the findings and recommendations of the National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee reports earlier this year on its modernisation programme. The DBS will be procuring a new supplier to deliver IT services and has agreed a short contract extension with the current provider to enable a smooth transition so that all operational services are protected.

Domestic Abuse

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what evidential difficulties the police have experienced in taking forward complaints of coercive control since December 2015.

Victoria Atkins: The previous Government created a ground-breaking new offence of controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship, which came into force in December 2015, to recognise the patterns of manipulation and control that characterise domestic abuse. Since then we have seen 294 successful convictions and the number of prosecutions increased threefold in 2017. However, we recognise that there is further work to do to raise awareness, improve understanding of the offence and increase the number of prosecutions.As part of the Government’s domestic abuse consultation last year, we asked whether further action should be taken to strengthen the offence.In our response to the consultation we agreed that we will update the statutory guidance and Crown Prosecution Service legal guidance on the offence. We will also improve understanding of the offence throughout the justice system, and work to dispel stereotypes by promoting the updated statutory guidance for the offence through the courts and justice system. This will help to increase the number of cases that are brought, charged and successfullyprosecuted under this offence.The Home Secretary chairs a national oversight group that is driving a culture change in the police response by ensuring that the recommendations from the Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) reviews into domestic abuse are acted upon. This includes improving police understanding of coercive controlPolice training and guidance is the responsibility of the College of Policing and the College has produced a training programme, called ‘Domestic Abuse Matters’ developed by the charity SafeLives, which focuses on improved evidence gathering and understanding of controlling and coercive behaviour. We will invest in further police training on coercive control to extend the rollout of the Domestic Abuse Matters police change programme.

Offences against Children: Social Media

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to apply legislation resulting from his White Paper on online harms to (a) Twitch, (b) Steam and (c) all other social media providers that make their services available to UK children.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions his Department has had with social networking sites on keeping children safe on livestreaming broadcasts.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to bring forward legislation as a result of his White Paper on online harms to require social media platforms to conduct impact assessments before offering new services to children.

Victoria Atkins: We will set out plans for tackling online harms and keeping children safe, including from child sexual exploitation and abuse, in the forthcoming Online Harms White Paper. The White Paper will set out clear responsibilities and requirements for all social media providers to keep UK citizens safe.In addition, the Home Secretary has been clear with industry that they should be proactive in combatting child sexual exploitation. The Home Secretary set out five key demands of industry at his speech at the NSPCC on 3 September, including stopping online grooming and live-streaming of abuse. As part of this commitment to protect children from online harms, he co-hosted a Hackathon in November in the USA, where he met leading industry stakeholders to identify robust ways to tackle and prevent child sexual abuse on the internet.A prototype tool was developed at the Hackathon that can be used to automatically flag potential conversations taking place between child groomers and children, which will be licensed free of charge to smaller and medium-sized technology companies worldwide.The National Crime Agency’s National Strategic Assessment for 2018 has assessed that livestreaming is a growing threat. In his speech at the NSPCC on the 3 September, the Home Secretary highlighted awareness of this risk to children due to improving technology and the growing ease of money transfers across borders.The Home Secretary stated that he demands a more effective partnership between technology companies, law enforcement, the charity sector and Government. To support these aims, the Home Office has made £250,000 available to support new ideas on how to detect and disrupt the live-streaming of abuse.

Drugs: Reviews

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish all correspondence and telephone transcripts between the UK Government and the Welsh Government on the terms of reference of the Independent review of drugs.

Victoria Atkins: My Department is in regular contact with the Welsh Government on a range of policies, including those relating to drugs and the recent drugs review. The correspondence and calls are undertaken on a confidential basis and it would not be appropriate to publish details.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to ensure that deaf people who are fluent in sign language but not written English will be able to complete their application for settled status.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office is putting in place measures to ensure that the EU Settlement Scheme is streamlined, user-friendly and accessible to all prospective applicants. That is why we are working in partnership with vulnerable group representatives, Local Authorities and other experts to identify user needs and provide the needed support.Since November 2017, we have held monthly meetings with representatives of EU citizens on the design and development of the scheme. We have been working closely with these groups to identify the needs of potentially vulnerable applicants including the disabled, elderly and isolated. We will have a broad range of support in place to assist applicants through the process, including translations of guidance in all 23 EU languages and Welsh. Additionally, up to £9 million of grant funding will also be made available to enable civil society organisations to mobilise services targeted at vulnerable EU citizens and their families to ensure those that require the most support to apply to the scheme can access it.

Home Office: Public Records

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many records his Department holds that have reached the time limit for their transfer to the National Archives but have not been transferred.

Victoria Atkins: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost, as this would require a manual search through individual files to identify the number of records held.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Public Records

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many records his Department holds that have reached the time limit for their transfer to the National Archives but have not been transferred.

David Mundell: The Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland was created in 1999. Records from 1999 will be transferred by 2022, as stipulated by the Public Records (Transfer to the Public Record Office) (Transitional and Saving Provisions) Order 2014.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Voting Rights: EU Nationals

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether voting rights for EU citizens residing in the UK will be maintained under the current terms in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Mr Robin Walker: The UK pushed hard in negotiations to include the right to stand and vote in local elections for UK nationals living in the EU, and EU citizens in the UK, but they will not be included in the Withdrawal Agreement as the Commission said it was out of scope.The Government has made clear that we will pursue bilateral arrangements with individual Member States. Ministers have written to all member states to offer bilateral agreements on local voting rights.We have now reached an agreement with Spain that will secure the rights of UK nationals living in Spain, and Spanish citizens living in the UK, to stand and vote in local elections. This is a positive step forward in our future relationship with Spain and we hope this will be the first of many similar bilateral agreements with other Member States.As we continue to pursue these bilateral agreements, we can confirm that EU citizens in the UK will continue to be able to vote and stand in England and Northern Ireland’s May 2019 local elections.The Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly are responsible for their own franchises.

EU Institutions

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many of the UK agencies required to replace the 45 respective EU agencies of which the UK is currently a member (a) have been established and (b) will be operation after 29 March 2019.

Mr Robin Walker: Prior to any decisions on establishing new UK-level bodies, the Government will always look to minimise disruption and costs, which will include considering alternative options. In most cases we anticipate that repatriated EU functions can be absorbed by UK departments and existing public bodies.The Government has previously announced three new agencies; the Trade Remedies Authority; an independent and statutory body holding government to account for the environment; and an independent authority for monitoring the implementation and application of the citizens' rights provisions of the withdrawal agreement. As set out in the Political Declaration, the UK and EU will explore the possibility of cooperation between the UK and EU agencies such as the European Aviation Safety Agency, the European Chemicals Agency, and the European Medicines Agency.

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade: South Africa

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to increase bilateral trade with South Africa.

George Hollingbery: The UK-South Africa trade relationship is deep and broad. We are committed to continuing to increase bilateral trade with South Africa, including by transitioning the current trading arrangements as the UK leaves the EU. Total trade in goods and services between the UK and South Africa was £8.8bn in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2018, an increase of 4.4% from the previous four quarters. The Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to South Africa; Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Africa; the High Commissioner to South Africa and the DIT team in-country work closely together to support UK companies doing business in South Africa, especially in the areas of infrastructure, agriculture and agricultural technology, financial and professional services and ICT.

EU External Trade: Trade Agreements

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress he has made on negotiations to roll-over each EU-negotiated free trade agreement.

George Hollingbery: Discussions with all partner countries have demonstrated a commitment to finding a pragmatic way to ensure continuity of our existing international agreements. Alongside the Withdrawal Agreement, the EU agreed to notify its treaty partners that the UK be treated as a Member State for the purposes of EU international agreements during the Implementation Period (IP). This includes trade agreements. A number of countries have already publicly welcomed this approach (Library deposit of 13 September DEP2018-0926 provides a list of countries).Nevertheless, to ensure preparedness for a ‘no deal’ scenario, we have already signed a number of agreements.The Government recently updated the House on our progress to achieve continuity of our existing free trade agreements, and I refer the honourable member to the Government’s written statement published on 21st February 2019. We will continue to inform the House as soon as further agreements are signed.

EU External Trade: Trade Agreements

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which free-trade agreements with non-EU member states he does not expect to be rolled-over immediately after the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: We want to ensure there is no disruption to our global trading relationships and therefore delivering a deal negotiated with the EU remains the Government’s top priority. A deal with the EU would provide a clear mechanism to achieve continuity of our existing free trade agreements from exit day and throughout an implementation period.Nevertheless, we are planning for all eventualities, including a ‘no deal’ scenario, working to have bilateral agreements in place ready for when we need them, whether that is in March 2019 or after the proposed implementation period.The Government recently updated the House on our progress to achieve continuity of our existing free trade agreements, and I refer the honourable member to the Government’s written statement published on 21st February 2019. We will continue to inform the House as soon as further agreements are signed.

EU External Trade: Trade Agreements

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many agreements the Government needs to replicate to ensure continuity of trade between the UK and those third countries with which the EU has signed such agreements.

George Hollingbery: The Government is seeking continuity of our existing EU trade agreements as we leave the EU and recently updated the House on progress on our progress to achieve continuity of our existing free trade agreements.I refer the honourable member to the Government’s written statement published on 21st February 2019. We will continue to inform the House as soon as further agreements are signed.

Trade Agreements: Developing Countries

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that those developing countries which access UK markets under the terms of a trade agreement with the EU do not face a disruption to trade in the event that he is unable to conclude a trade agreement with them which replicates the terms of that EU agreement by 29 March 2019.

George Hollingbery: A deal with the EU would provide a clear mechanism to achieve continuity of our existing free trade agreements with developing countries from exit day and throughout an implementation period.We are working with partners to conclude and implement agreements from 29 March 2019 or as soon as possible thereafter in the event of a “no deal” exit. The Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act enables the UK to put in place a UK trade preferences scheme for developing countries. If the UK trade agreements are not agreed in time but the UK’s unilateral preferences scheme has been put in place, some developing countries would be eligible for preferential access under different tiers of that scheme.

Iron and Steel: USA

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with the UK-US Trade Working Group on access for UK steel producers to US Government procurement contracts in a future trade agreement.

George Hollingbery: The UK-US Trade and Investment Working Group has met on five occasions since it was launched in July 2017, most recently in November 2018. The working group’s aim is to provide commercial continuity across a wide range of sectors, including steel, for US and UK businesses, workers, and consumers as the UK leaves the EU and explore ways to strengthen trade and investment ties ahead of exit. The group is also laying the groundwork to ensure that both sides are well prepared to open trade negotiations on an free trade agreement after the UK leaves the EU in 2019.

Trade Remedies Authority

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the capacity of the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) to carry out independent investigations into trade disputes; and whether evidence supplied by British producers to ongoing trade dispute investigations conducted by the EU will be accepted in TRA investigations.

George Hollingbery: The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) will be responsible for operating the UK’s domestic trade remedies system, subject to the will of Parliament. For investigations that are still underway by the EU when the UK begins to operate its own trade remedies system, UK industry will be able to apply to the TRA to initiate a new investigation and submit evidence, which may include evidence it provided to the Commission. It will be for the TRA to decide on the relevance of that information and how it takes such evidence into account. With over 80% of staff appointed, the TRA is resourced to undertake this work. The TRA is responsible for trade remedies cases. It is not and will not be responsible for trade disputes. This will be a matter managed by DIT.

Trade Remedies Authority

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the designate appointees to senior officer roles at the Trade Remedies Authority have met with external stakeholders; and whether his Department's policy is to publish details of such meetings.

George Hollingbery: The designate appointees are DIT employees and are included in DIT transparency returns. The Department complies with standard Cabinet Office transparency rules, as is usual. The designate appointees started their roles this calendar year and therefore the returns have not yet been published, but when they are, the relevant transparency data can be found on GOV.UK - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-international-trade&publication_type=transparency-data. When the Trade Remedies Authority becomes a separate legal entity to DIT, subject to the will of Parliament, it will have its own transparency systems and rules.

Fossil Fuels: Export Credit Guarantees

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what proportion of UK Export Finance support was allocated to the fossil fuels sector in each year since 2010.

Graham Stuart: The share of support UK Export Finance (UKEF) provided for exports relating to fossil fuels can be found in the table. FYShare of Maximum Liability which went to fossil fuel projects, %2010/1112%2011/121%2012/135%2013/1417%2014/1517%2015/1633%2016/1726%2017/187% UKEF publishes details of the support it provides in its Annual Report and Accounts. UKEF’s mission is to ensure that no viable UK export fails for lack of finance or insurance from the private sector. UKEF supports exports in all sectors, including renewables. Its aim is only to provide support where there is a lack of private finance and its provision of support is demand-led and often counter-cyclical. The UK’s oil and gas sector is a significant contributor to the economy, but has seen low investment in recent years due to volatility in oil prices and the lack of financing needed to develop projects. UKEF has provided support for projects in developing markets, helping to improve energy affordability and accessibility.

Trade Agreements

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how his Department plans to consult Parliament in the formulation of trade negotiation mandates.

George Hollingbery: I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the reply I gave on 4 February to the question asked by the honourable Member for Swansea West (Geraint Davies) (UNI 213161).

Trade Agreements

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans his Department has to involve Parliament in trade negotiations.

George Hollingbery: I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the reply I gave on 4 February to the question asked by the honourable Member for Swansea West (Geraint Davies) (UNI 213161).

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Members: Correspondence

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Bradford South of 30 November 2018 requesting a meeting in relation to Channel 4 and Bradford.

Jeremy Wright: I congratulate the city of Leeds on being named as the location for Channel 4’s new National Headquarters. This will stimulate growth and creativity across the broader region, including Bradford, for years to come. The Department will respond formally to the letter from the Hon Member for Bradford South and other Members across the region shortly.

Creative Europe

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether it is his policy to maintain access to the Creative Europe programme after leaving the EU.

Margot James: The PM has previously made it clear where possible, the UK will continue to participate in EU programmes where there is mutual benefit to the UK and the EU.The UK is exploring continued participation in EU programmes, including on culture and education where it is in the EU and UK's mutual interest. UK participation in programmes will be agreed between the parties and depend on the nature of the next generation of EU programmes and wider UK priorities. Any ongoing participation would need to be value for money for the UK taxpayer.

Social Media: Children

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the NSPCC regulatory proposals, published on 12 February 2019, whether the legislation outlined in the online harms White Paper will provide a social media regulator with comprehensive powers of information disclosure.

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the NSPCC regulatory proposals, published on 12 February 2019, whether social media platforms will be subject to red flag reporting and a general proactive duty to disclose information.

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the NSPCC regulatory proposals, published on 12 February 2019, whether legislation outlined in the forthcoming online harms White Paper will hold named directors of social media companies personally and individually liable for failing to comply with regulation.

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the NSPCC regulatory proposals, published on 12 February 2019, whether legislation outlined in the forthcoming online harms White Paper will propose a sanctions regime for social media providers that fail to comply with legislation.

Margot James: We are considering the full range of possible solutions to address existing and emerging issues relating to online safety, including legal and regulatory changes where necessary. We will, in the coming weeks, publish a joint DCMS-Home Office Online Harms White Paper which will set out a range of legislative and non-legislative measures detailing how we will tackle online harms and setting clear responsibilities for tech companies to keep people safe.

House of Commons Commission

Recall of Parliament

Nic Dakin: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate the Commission has made of the additional cost to the House of Commons of sitting through what was originally intended to be the February recess.

Tom Brake: It is estimated that the following additional costs may be incurred as a result of the House sitting during the period which was originally intended to be the February recess.Loss of income expected from tours that have been cancelled£90,000Estimated additional payments to staff required to work if the House sits beyond 6pm or night duty (beyond 8pm), payments for childcare, late night transport and printing costs£10,000Costs of postponing planned building/maintenance works£200,000–£300,000Total Range£300,000 – £400,000There may be additional costs that cannot yet be quantified and there may be additional income from catering as the estate will be busier than expected.

Women and Equalities

Females: Human Rights

Angela Crawley: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what potential effect the UK leaving the EU will have on women's rights and opportunities.

Victoria Atkins: We will ensure that the robust protections provided to women by the Equality Acts 2006 and 2010 and equivalent legislation in Northern Ireland, continue to apply after the UK leaves the EU, and we’ve also committed to ensuring workers’ rights keep pace with the changing needs of the labour market.